Mereja Forum

[Awash]

Conditional release of 27 Christian prisoners

11 Sep 2020

CSW has confirmed that 27 Eritrean Christians were released from Mai Serwa Prison near Eritrea’s capital, Asmara, on 4 and 8 September, possibly in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to CSW’s sources, the group consisted of 19 men and eight women who had been detained without charge or trial for between two and 16 years, and who are thought to be the first of around 54 anticipated releases. However, the releases are reportedly conditional on the submission of  property deeds ensuring their guarantors are held liable for their future actions.  

Sources confirmed that the releases did not include any detained church leaders.  Moreover, the releases were preceded by the arrests of several Christians in Asmara, including around four church leaders, two weeks earlier.

Commenting on these events, a CSW source said: “It is a government strategy. They cannot detain everybody, so they keep you for some time, hoping that you will become weak or frightened.  Then they put in other people. They release and put other people in prison at the same time.” 

The source put the number of Christians currently detained at a little over 300, including 39 children, “although these numbers fluctuate.”

Tens of thousands of Eritreans are currently held without charge or trial in life threatening conditions in more than 300 sites across the country. Among those incarcerated are prisoners of conscience, some of whom have been detained for well over a decade on account of their political views or religious beliefs. Conditions in these facilities are overcrowded, unsanitary and inadequate; detention facilities include shipping containers, underground cells, and the open air in the desert, and access to medical attention is insufficient and often withheld as punishment. Mai Serwa prison, where the former detainees were jailed, is infamous for utilising metal shipping containers as holding cells.

The spate of recent releases is being attributed to the spread of COVID-19 in the country’s overcrowded prison system.  However, Eritrea is officially reporting just 341 cases, and claims that no one has died of the virus so far. There has been no independent verification of these assertions.

In an earlier development, reports emerged in August indicating that members of the Muslim community who were  detained in 2018 in connection with protests following the death of respected Muslim elder Haji Musa Mohammed Nur had been released. 

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: “While applauding the fact that people who were deprived of their liberty have regained their freedom, it is also important to recall that they were detained arbitrarily and without due process for excessive periods simply on account of their religious beliefs.  Moreover, these releases remain conditional, as they were secured by property deeds, leaving the guarantors vulnerable to losing their properties.  The guarantors could also lose their freedom should a former detainee exercise the right to leave the country, a right articulated in Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Eritrea is party. Far more prisoners of conscience remain arbitrarily detained than have been released, and the fact that these releases were preceded by further arrests is indicative of an ongoing repression of the right to freedom of religion or belief.  CSW therefore continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of prisoners detained arbitrarily, particularly in view of a pandemic that poses a risk to life for those still held in inhumane conditions.

https://www.csw.org.uk/2020/09/11/press ... rticle.htm

[tekeba]

Asswash bedatam jebert. What the fuxck you are talking about

[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

የየመን ተራሮችን በማንቀጥቀጥ በዝንጀሮዎች ዘንድ ከፍ ያለ ዝና ያተረፈ Agame Awash/Justice Seeker/ QB/ Mesob/ C beyond/ ANTICO/ tekeba/ Goba/ Merhano...etc

[sebdoyeley]

Asswash, does by any chance your mother still a virgin? in agameland virigin ladies are much worthy in mekele and Axum hotels this day.
Agame are well knownsaling their mothers for a higher burden so it is not going to come as a shock to you agame Asswash.

Conditional release of 27 Christian prisoners

[Awash]

tevbeda,
Don't you read English?

Asswash bedatam jebert. What the fuxck you are talking about

[Awash]

How come you aggamiddos love to see Eritreans in prison?

Asswash, does by any chance your mother still a virgin? in agameland virigin ladies are much worthy in mekele and Axum hotels this day.
Agame are well knownsaling their mothers for a higher burden so it is not going to come as a shock to you agame Asswash.

Conditional release of 27 Christian prisoners

[Awash]

All you deqi komarit care about is your fellow Tegaru.

የየመን ተራሮችን በማንቀጥቀጥ በዝንጀሮዎች ዘንድ ከፍ ያለ ዝና ያተረፈ Agame Awash/Justice Seeker/ QB/ Mesob/ C beyond/ ANTICO/ tekeba/ Goba/ Merhano...etc
https://www.yotube.com/h?v=pv2jCvIuMuc

[kerenite]

Asswash bedatam jebert. What the fuxck you are talking about

You SOB teQebach,

Why don't you leave the jeberti alone.

Your sorry asz is quiet aware that awash is an orthodox christian same as you.

Tuff nab getska anta AbaQ.

[sebdoyeley]

shiratam shire jeberty kerenite. are you virigin? your old shiratam pu$$y my worth something in Agame land.

Asswash bedatam jebert. What the fuxck you are talking about

You SOB teQebach,

Why don't you leave the jeberti alone.

Your sorry asz is quiet aware that awash is an orthodox christian same as you.

Tuff nab getska anta AbaQ.

[Awash]

 27 Prisoners released in Eritrea, Report States

09/12/2020 Eritrea (International Christian Concern) – Eritrea is one of the world’s most reclusive states. In the NGO community, it is often referred to as the “North Korea of Africa”. For most of the past two decades, Eritrea has had no foreign relations with any country other than Egypt and Iran. Then just last year, they reopened communication with Ethiopia, their brother country who they gained independence from in 1991. Since that 2002, the government in Eritrea has arrested hundreds of people, including journalists, clergy, evangelicals and other, who they see as threatening their security. Many of those that have been arrested have been held for decades or died without ever receiving a trial or due process. Due to this, they have been ranked as one of the worst human rights violators in the world and one of the worst persecutors of Christians.

Just last week however, the Eritrean government released at least 27 Christians on bail. Though these Christians have been released for the first time in years, they are still not free to do as they would like. None of them will be allowed to leave the country. It is believed that they were only released due to COVID 19 fears. If this is true, then it is likely that those who have been released at this time will be returned to prison as soon as the fear of the pandemic is passed.

We hope that the Eritrean government is having a change of heart in relation to freedom of worship, but this will have to be proven over time. They will have to release all of their prisoners of conscience and stop the attacks and arrests of people of any faith. Please pray for these individuals who have finally regained a small part of their freedom. Pray that they are able to be reunited with their families and that they will be able to live without fear of re-arrest.

https://www.persecution.org/2020/09/14/ ... rt-states/